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Ireland will no longer recognise the UK driving licences of people living in Ireland in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The Road Safety Authority of Ireland, a state agency, said this week a mutual recognition agreement would end and that holders of British licences would need to swap them for Irish licences before the UK is due to leave the EU on 29 March. “In the event of a no-deal Brexit the driving licence of a UK licence holder living here in Ireland will not be recognised and the driver will not be able to continue to drive here in Ireland on that licence,” the National Driver Licence Service, which issues permits, said in a statement. “The advice to such drivers is that they should exchange their UK driving licence for an Irish driving licence before the 29 March 2019. Under current arrangements a UK licence holder resident here in Ireland has an entitlement to make such an exchange.” Under current rules a UK licence holder can swap a licence and preserve … [Read more...] about UK driving licences will not be valid in Ireland under no-deal Brexit

An Orca held with nearly 100 other whales in a scandalous “whale jail” on Russia's Pacific coast has gone missing and is feared dead. Police said they were investigating the disappearance of an Orca from holding centre in Srednyaya bay near Nakhodka. It was first discovered in November that 11 Orcas and 90 Beluga whales were being kept in the bay and were expected to be sold to Chinese aquariums. Legal wrangling over the facility has moved forward in fits and starts. On Wednesday, Vladimir Putin ordered the government to investigate the confinement of the whales in the bay and review regulations on the capture of marine mammals. The companies in charge of the facility reportedly informed authorities this week that a whale escaped from the first enclosure through a damaged net. But animal rights activists have raised suspicions that it died due to crowded, restrictive conditions of its confinement. Members of the Free Russian Whales Coalition who were able to visit the … [Read more...] about Orca held in notorious Russian ‘whale jail’ missing, feared dead

In 2015, Romania voted against relocation quotas for refugees within the EU, though it later supported the UN’s Global Compact on Refugees. Recently, it was asked by the UNHCR to use its six-month EU presidency to mobilise member states to be more active in managing the flows of refugees. EURACTIV Romania reports. “The Global Compact on Refugees and, respectively, on Regular Migration will generate a common approach on migration and displaced persons at the global level,” President Klaus Iohannis said in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly last September. Romania signed the memorandum of supporting the Global pact in the form agreed through negotiations. Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, the regional representative of UNHCR for European affairs, asked Romania to encourage the member states to make more preparations to administrate the flows of refugees, to consolidate the relevant institutions and the asylum procedures. “Romania is determined to strengthen … [Read more...] about Romania treads water on migration and asylum reforms

An appeal for witnesses has gone out from police following two burglaries at hair salons in Horsham. Thieves broke into Vanity Hair Salon in Blackbridge Lane at around 11pm on Tuesday just days after another salon - Studio 2 in Coltsfoot Drive - was raided.Sussex Police are now asking anyone who saw anything suspicious to report it online at https://www.sussex.police.uk/contact/af/contact-us/) or call them on 101 quoting 164 of 20/02. The appeal was launched after thieves escaped with what is described as ‘a small amount of money’ from Vanity Hair Salon after the thieves smashed the front door.Salon owner Megan Pearson said the burglars had used a crowbar to break their way in and ransacked the interior.In the previous break-in, burglars fled with a safe containing around £800. The thieves forced open the back door of Studio 2 in Coltsfoot Drive just after 1am on February 14.Other hairdressers in the area are now being warned to be on the alert. … [Read more...] about Police appeal after second raid on Horsham hairdressers

REDDITCH record shop Vintage Trax is celebrating its fourth anniversary after reaping the benefits of the vinyl revival. The popular business, on Birchfield Road in Headless Cross, will be marking the event this Saturday, February 23, music, giveaways and of course cake. Owner Ros Sidaway, credits the increasing demand and popularity of records for her shops success. She said: “It’s not just the local area we serve, we have customers regularly coming from the Birmingham area, Warwickshire, the South West, Wales and London. “We even have people from around the UK and overseas visiting the John Bonham memorial in Redditch town centre who come up to the shop too.” Last year alone 4.2 million records were sold in the UK an increase of 1.6 per cent from 2017. But that figure does not include sales of second hand vinyls sold through record shops, charity stores and online. Saturday’s celebrations run from 11am to 4.30pm and as always customers will be able to … [Read more...] about Redditch record shop celebrates fourth anniversary following vinyl revival